Safety razor and safety razor blade



July 14, 1931.. R. E. THOMPSON SAFETY RAZOR AND SAFETY RAZOR BLADE Filed July 3. 1930 Patented July 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH E. THOMPSON, OF BROOKLIN'E, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY. OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE SAFETY RAzoa AND SAFETY RAZOR BLADE Application filed July 3, 1930. Serial No. 465,480.

This invention relates to safety razors, and will be herein disclosedas embodied in a razor of the Gillette type.

In the merchandising of safety razors it has occasionally been found that old blades have been re-sharpened and sold by unscrupulous dealers as new blades. In some cases the re-sharpening has been done skillfully and sucessfully, but in most cases the results are very unsatisfactory. While there is no objection to the re-sharpening of blades or their sale as re-sharpened blades, the sale of them as new blades works an injustice both to the purchaser, who receives inferior goods, and also to the manufacturer because of the adverse criticism thus brought upon the quality of his merchandise.

The present invention deals particularly with this situation and it aims to prevent the practice just described. To this end the invention contemplates both a novel razor construction and also a blade which may have novel features or which may be constructed in accordance with the invention disclosed in my copending, application Serial N 0. 410,220, filed November 27, 1929.

In placing upon the market a new razor or blade it is desirable to have the new blade fit razors already in the hands of users and also to have the new razor take the old blade as well as the new one. This factor is taken into consideration-in dealing with theproblem above described and it is therefore one of the objects of the invention to devise a razor which will not only satisfy the requirements above indicated but which will also take the present commercial blades.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a blade of a form shown in the earlier application above referred to;

Fig. 2 is 'a perspective view of the varione parts of a razor 'or blade holder embodylng features of this invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blade shown in Fig. 1 after it has been used in the holder shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4. is an end view of the holder;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form of blade; and 1 i Fig. 6v is a perspective view showing a modified construction of blade holder.

Referrin first to Fig. 1, the blade construction t ere shown is like that disclosed in my prior application above referred to, and reference should be made to said application for a complete description of this blade. For present purposes it is suflicient to point out that the blade is of the thin or wafer type, is of substantially uniform thickness throughout its area, except at its beveled cutting edges, and is slotted longitudinally along its central axis, as indicated at. 3. This slot is for blade positioning purposes and it partly divides the blade into two approximately equal sections each provided with a cutting edge. These sections are connected together by relatively narrow strips of metal 4-4 at the opposite ends of the slot 3, the strips being integral with the two blade sections. The blade is hardened so that it is relatively brittle except at its opposite ends, but the end areas of the blade are annealed so thatthe strips or bridges 4-4 are relatively soft, flexlble, and easily deformable. This unique characteristic of the blade is utilized in accomplishing the objects of this invention.

The razor illustrated in Fig. 2 in its general arrangement is similar to safety razors of the commercial Gillette type, but differs from them in certain important particulars. It comprises a blade holder including a guard 6 and a cap 7 adapted to clamp a blade 2 between them, the cap having a central rib 8 designed to enter the slot 3 of the blade and the guard being provided with a groove 9 to receive the {rib 8. The razor also includes the usual handle for the holder comprising a tubular section 10 integral with or rigidly secured to the guard 6, and a sleeve 12 designed to slide freely into the tubular section, and internally screw threaded at 13 to receive an externally threaded stud 14 which projects rigidly from the cap 7. The extreme end portion of the sleeve 12 is enlarged, as shown at 15, and is knurled to afford a better grip for the thumb and fingers in rotating the sleeve to clamp the guard 6 and cap 7 upon the blade 2, the shoulder 16 of the sleeve 12 bearing flexed or transversely curved form when clamped between the guard and ca This is the operative position of the bla e in the holder as described in said earlier application.

The present holder is provi'ded with arts which cooperate permanentl to die-s ape, mark or deform the clampe blade, preferably, but not necessarily, in a direction to reduce its width. For this purpose the rib 8 on the cap 7 is provided with reduced extensions 17-17 at the ends thereof and these extensions are! positioned; to bear on the flexible strips or bridges 44 included in the softened end areas of the blade 2. When the blade has been positioned in the razor and the guard 6 and cap 7 are relative- 1y moved by turning the sleeve 12 toclamp t -em upon the blade, the soft strips 44 of the blade first are gripped between the rib extensions 17-17 and the end portions of the guard 18-18 of the groove 9 thus reversely curving and corrugating these strips 44, as shown at 4 in Figs. 3 and 4. A blade hardened throughout its area would be broken by this treatment. But due to the fact that strips 4-4 are soft, untempered and flexible or ductile, they are die-shaped or swaged and become corrugated or deformed. Consequently, when the blade subsequently is released the soft strips still retain the corrugations which have been formed in them while clamped in the holder.

Fig. 3 shows approximately the shape of a blade after being removed from the razor. It will readily be appreciated that it would be a diflicult, if not impossible, matter to straighten such a blade so that it could be re-sold as a new blade. The marks of the corrugations would still be discernable even after considerable straightening eifort. Other incidental advantages follow from this construction. For example, a; blade which has once been clamped in the holder becomes automatically and permanently fitted to that particular holder, so that the user may reestablish the desired conditions of edge exposure each time he uses the razor. The cooperation of the corrugation formed in the blade with the rib and groove in the holder, moreover, tends to prevent displacement of the blade in the holder in case the clamping engagement of the cap and guard is released by the user, as is sometimes done in order to secure an increased edge exposure of the blade by permitting it to straighten slightly. Furthermore, after a blade has once been used it is easy to pick up from a flat surface, both because the ribholds the body of the blade in a slightly elevated position and also because the ends of the corrugations themselves may be readily grasped between the thumb and fin ers. Due. to the fact that the corrugation ,o the blade may reduce its width, an adjustment of the degree of the exposure of the edge beyond the cap is thereby alforded. This will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 4, it being evident that the farther down into the grooved section 18 the soft strip 4 of the blade is drawn, the greater will be the narrowing or reduction in width of the blade, and the more the exposure of the blade will be reduced. This matter of exposure is important indetermining the closeness of the shave obtainable, as is well understood by those skilled in this art, so that this adjustment is desirable from the standpoint of many users. In addition it may be pointed out that some manufacturing tolerance is necessary in the widths of the guards, caps and blades since it is impractical to make them accurate down to the last ten-thousandth of an inch. While this tolerance is only a very few thousandths of an inch, it is, nevertheless, suflicient to make an appreciable difference in the results obtainable under some circumstances, as for example, where all of the manufacturing errors accumulate in one direction and one fails to offset the other. This adjustment. of the exposure of the edge permits the user of the razor to obtain a relationship which is best suited to his individual requirements and he very quickly learns from experience what adjustment is most desirable.

It will be observed that the holder shown in Fig. 2 is designed to take the blade shown in Fig. 1, which is the present commercial form, and that this blade, therefore, will not only fit the razor shown in the prior application above mentioned but also that shown in the present case. It is clear, however, that the invention could be embodied in a great variety of other forms including different designs both of blades and holders. Also, that the deformation of the blade need not be like that shown in the construction above described.

Another form of blade embodying this invention is shown at 20 in Fig. 5. This also is a double edge blade very similar in construction to the blade 2 and slotted along its central axis so that it is partly divided into two approximately equal sections, these sections being connected together by narrow strips or bridges 2121 of metal integral with that of the two sections. These strips are annealed or left soft while the rest of the blade is hardened. A holder suitable to accommodate this blade is shown in Fig. 6, and comprises a guard 22 and a cooperating cap 23. A rib 24 runs centrally alon the inner surface of the cap and is adapte to fit in a groove 25 in the guard to position the blade. At points 26-26 the rib is reduced in height to provide rib sections adapted to bear on the softened strips 2121 and to force them'into the enlarged portions 27-27 of the slot 25. The guard and cap may be relatively moved into position to clamp or release the blade by parts like those shown in Fig. 2 or by a great variety of other arrangements.

In this construction, as in that previously described, the annealed or soft portions of the blade are permanently deformed by the act of clamping the blade in the holder in proper position for shaving so that it is lmpractical subsequently to release such a blade, flatten it out, re-sharpen it, and sell it as a new blade.

While I have herein shown and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. A safety razor comprising a holder including two clamping members for gripping a blade and holding it in position for shaving, said members having parts cooperating to corrugate portions of a normally flat blade in such a direction as to reduce the width of the blade, and means for relatively moving said members into their b'lade clamping and corrugating relationship.

. 2. A safety razor comprising the combination of two clamping members having parts cooperating to grip a blade between them' and to corrugate a portion of said blade, a hardened blade having soft and relatively flexible portions 50 be gripped and corrugated by said parts, and means for relatively moving said members into their blade clamping and corrugating relationship.

3. A safety razor including a holder comprising two clamping members havingparts to grip and hold a blade in shaving position and to deform portions of the blade.

so gripped, a hardened blade having rela-' tively soft and flexible portions adapted to be gripped and permanently deformed by said parts, and means for relatively moving said clamping members into their blade gripping and deforming relationship.

4. A safety razor including a holder comprising two clamping members having parts to grip and hold a blade in shaving A position and to deform portions of the blade so gripped, a hardened blade having relatively soft and flexible portions to be gripped and permanently deformed by said parts, cooperating parts on said holder and blade for positioning the blade between said members, and means for relatively moving said members to clamp them upon said blade and to permanently deform said soft portions of the blade. 4

5. A safety razor comprising a holder including two clamping members for gripping a blade and holding it in shaving position, said members having parts cooperating to corrugate portions of said blade in such a direction as to reduce the width of the blade, a hardened blade having soft and relatively flexible portions to be gripped and corrugated by said parts, and means for relatively moving said members to cause them to grip and corrugate said blade and to permanently deform the corrugated portion of the blade.

6. A safety razor including a holder comprising two clamping members for gripping a blade between them and holding 1t 1n position for shaving, said members having parts cooperating to deform portions of the blade so gripped without breaking it, a hardened blade having annealed portions adapted to be gripped. and permanently deformed by said parts, and means for relatively moving said clamping members into position to grip said blade and to permanently deform the annealed portions of the blade. a

7. A safety razor comprising a holder including a guard and a cap, said cap having projecting portions adapted to enter a slot in a blade to position a blade properly in said holder, additional projections extending from said cap for acting on said blade to reversely curve parts of the blade, said guard being recessed to receive said additional projections and the metal of the blade deformed by them, and means for relatively moving said guard and cap to clamp a blade between them and to cause said additional projections to permanently deform portions of the blade.,

8. A safety razor comprising a holder including a ard and a cap, said cap having a central'rlb extendinglongitudinally thereof and adapted to enter a slot in a blade to position said blade in said "holder, projecand parts cooperating with said handle to relatively move said guard and cap to clamp the blade between them.

9. A safety razor comprising a holder including a guard and a cap, a hardened double edge blade clamped between said guard and cap and slotted along the central 5 axis thereof but provided with relatively narrow strips of metal connecting the sections of the blade at opposite sides of sald axis, said strips being relatively soft and flexible, a handle for said holder, means 00- cluding a guard and a cap, said cap having a central rib extending longitudinally thereofand adapted toenter a slot in a blade to position said blade in said holder, extensions at the ends of said ribfor acting on portions of said blade at the ends of the slot therein to corrugate said portions of the blade, said guard being recessed to receive said extensions and the metal of the blade corrugated by them, a handle for said holder having a screw threaded part, and a screw threaded element on said holder cooperating with said handle to relatively move said guard and cap to clamp the blade between them and to corrugate the portions of the blade at the ends of said slot.

11. A safety razor comprising cap and guard members, one having a die cavity and the other a male die member, and a thin flexible blade adapted to be clamped between said members and having a softened area in which a projection is formed by the cooperation of the die elements when the blade is so clamped. v

12. A safety razor comprising cap and guard members shaped for interlockin engagement and having cooperating bla e-loeating faces, one having a die projection and the other having an oppositely disposed opening in its blade-shaping face, and a thin flexible blade adapted to be clamped between said members and having a ductile area in WlllCll a projection may be formed by the action of said die projection.

13. A safety razor comprising cap and guard members for clamping a blade between them, one member having a longitudinally disposed cavity and the other a similarly located rib, and a flexible blade slotted to accommodate a part of the rib and having at each end a ductile bridgeportion adapted to be corrugated by the action of the said rib when the blade is clamped.

14. safety razor comprising cap and guard members for clamping a blade' be- -tween them, one member having a longitudinally disposed cavity therein and the other a co-operating rib, and a flexible blade 

